workmanship, with golden strings, from which she drew the sweetest tones
he had ever heard in his whole life. Gilbert stood still, quite
entranced, and could have listened for ever, had not the lady, on
becoming conscious of his presence, stopped short, and blushed with
pretty confusion at having been overheard by a stranger.

"I never heard anything like it before!" exclaimed Gilbert.

She raised her soft eyes towards his, and said: "Will you enter my
service?"

"That I will," answered he, quite bewildered by her beauty. "What shall
I have to do?"

The lady pointed to the flocks grazing on the hill, saying he would
merely have to tend the sheep, and, above all, to mind that none got
lost. She then gave him the ivory fiddle, saying he need only draw the
bow across the strings, when the sheep, being accustomed to the sound,
would follow at his bidding. "Now roam about wherever you please," added
she, "only mind you return to yonder castle at nightfall, and bring the
flock back with you, and then you shall have your reward."

Gilbert then set off to join the sheep, though not without looking back
many a time, to take a last glimpse of the lady who still sat near the
bank, smiling more bewitchingly than ever. On reaching the top of the
hill, he perceived that the sheep had already strayed down into the
valley, when he hastened after them, but only to see them enter a narrow
glen helter-skelter, as if they were running for dear life. He now
recollected the fiddle would save him all further trouble, and drew the
bow across the strings as the lady had told him, but instead of the
exquisite music she drew from them, he only obtained a sort of
screeching noise, that seemed to spread a panic amongst the flock, and
after hurrying through the glen, the sheep dispersed both right and
left. Gilbert ran after first one group and then another, scraping away
at his fiddle as hard as he could, but it was all of no use--he could
not overtake them. At length he was so tired that he was obliged to sit
down and rest. He began to feel hungry, too, not having eaten since his
ride to Elf-land, and looked about him for some cottage where he could
apply for breakfast. But no buildings of any kind were in sight. However
he soon found some trees laden with delicious fruit, and having appeased
his hunger, felt his strength so renovated that he again set out in
pursuit of his flock, which now looked like a mere speck in the horizon.

Up hill a